Pyrosequencing Analysis of Oral Microbiota Shifting in Various Caries States in Childhood

Abstract

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent childhood diseases worldwide, but little is known about the dynamic characteristics of oral microbiota in the development of dental caries. To investigate the shifting bacterial profiles in different caries states, 60 children (3-7-year-old) were enrolled in this study, including 30 caries-free subjects and 30 caries-active subjects. Supragingival plaques were collected from caries-active subjects on intact enamel, white spot lesions and carious dentin lesions. Plaques from caries-free subjects were used as a control. All samples were analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing based on 16S rRNA gene V1-V3 hypervariable regions. A total of 572,773 pyrosequencing reads passed the quality control and 25,444 unique phylotypes were identified, which represented 18 phyla and 145 genera. Reduced bacterial diversity in the cavitated dentin was observed as compared with the other groups. Thirteen genera (including Capnocytophaga, Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Abiotrophia, Comamonas, Tannerella, Eikenella, Paludibacter, Treponema, Actinobaculum, Stenotrophomonas, Aestuariimicrobium, and Peptococcus) were found to be associated with dental health, and the bacterial profiles differed considerably depending on caries status. Eight genera (including Cryptobacterium, Lactobacillus, Megasphaera, Olsenella, Scardovia, Shuttleworthia, Cryptobacterium, and Streptococcus) were increased significantly in cavitated dentin lesions, and Actinomyces and Corynebacterium were present at significant high levels in white spot lesions (P < 0.05), while Flavobacterium, Neisseria, Bergeyella, and Derxia were enriched in the intact surfaces of caries individuals (P < 0.05). Our results showed that oral bacteria were specific at different stages of caries progression, which contributes to informing the prevention and treatment of childhood dental caries.

Insights into the Virulence Traits of <b><i>Streptococcus mutans</i></b> in Dentine Carious Lesions of Children with Early Childhood Caries

“…A similar result was found in previous studies involving dentine lesions found in children Color version available online [Jiang et al, 2014] and adults [Simón-Soro et al, 2013] without considering lesion activity status. A possible contribution of these micro-organisms to the inactivation of the lesions can be suggested, since several streptococcal species are able to produce alkali [Nascimento and Burne, 2014] that can neutralize acid in disease-associated biofilms and favour an increase in local pH, which is compatible with the high pH of arrested lesions [Hojo et al, 1994;Kuriba yashi et al, 2012].…”

“…The polymicrobial nature of caries has been well established [Simón-Soro et al, 2013Jiang et al, 2014], and S. mutans is an oral bacterium that can contribute to the onset and progression of caries [Mattos-Graner et al, 2001;Nobre-dos-Santos et al, 2002;Aas et al, 2008;Takahashi and Nyvad, 2008;Palmer et al, 2010;Bowen and Koo, 2011;Luo et al, 2012]. The cariogenic potential of S. mutans is mainly attributed to its capacity to: (i) form biofilms on the tooth surfaces, (ii) produce weak acids, mainly lactic acid, and (iii) adapt to environmental stress conditions such as fluctuations in pH, oxygen tension and nutrient availability [Lemos and Burne, 2008].…”

Microbiology of Oral Biofilm-Dependent Diseases: Have We Made Significant Progress to Understand and Treat These Diseases?

“…Of interest, different bacterial profiles were observed depending on the stage of caries development, and a reduced bacterial diversity was observed in the microbiota of advanced dentin lesions [62]. These data support the 'ecological plaque hypothesis' [63] which states that caries is a result of a shift in the homeostatic balance of the resident microbiota due to local environmental changes which will favor the outgrowth of more cariogenic species initially present in low numbers.…”

Stability and Resilience of Oral Microcosms Toward Acidification and Candida Outgrowth by Arginine Supplementation

“…1). The latter two genera have been found in elevated levels in dentin lesions [38,39] and have also been associated with periodontal disease [40].…”